Straight No Chaser - A Jazz Show

Etta James (1938-2012)

Straight No Chaser is the place for jazz lovers (and those who will soon be jazz lovers) to enjoy podcasts with their favorite music and artists. Winner of the 2017 JazzTimes Readers' Poll for Best Podcast, your host Jeffrey Siegel will take you inside the world of jazz, from the new releases to the best festiva;s to remembrances of jazz legends.

Etta James, the soul shaking singer who made "At
Last" and “I 'd Rather Go Blind” standards, has died,from
complications from leukemia. She is survived byher husband, Artis
Mills, and her sons, both of who played in her band. She would have
turned 74 Wednesday.

Throughout her
career, James overcame a heroin addiction, opened for the Rolling
Stones, won six Grammys (including a 1994 award for Best
Jazz Vocal Performance for her album "Mystery Lady," and the Grammy
Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.) and was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Born Jamesetta Hawkins inLos
Angelesto a teen mother and
unknown father (She suspected her father was the pool player
Minnesota Fats), she was recognized from a young age for her
booming voice, showcased in a South Central Los Angeles church. In
1950, her mother took her toSan
Francisco, where James formed a
group called the Peaches. Singer Johnny Otis (who ironically also
passed away this week) , best known for "Willie and the Hand Jive,"
discovered her and had her sing a song he wrote using Ballard's
tune as a model. "The Wallflower," with responses from "Louie
Louie" songwriter Richard Berry, made James an R&B
star.

Her
signing to Chess introduced her singing abilities to a broader
audience, resulting in hits including "A Sunday Kind of Love,"
which originally dates from 1946; and most notably, "At Last," a
1941 number that was originally a hit for Glenn Miller. Later, her
stalled career got a boost when she started recording at Rick
Hall'sFAMEStudios in
Muscle Shoals,Alabamain the
late 1960’s. Her hits recorded there included the brassy "Tell
Mama" and the raw "I'd Rather Go Blind.”

James was portrayed by pop star Beyonce in the
2008 film "Cadillac Records," about Chess. After Beyonce sang "At
Last" at one of President Barack Obama's 2009 inaugural balls,
James lashed out: "I can't stand Beyonce. She had no business up
there singing my song that I've been singing forever." She later
told the New York Daily News she was joking.

Click here to
listen to saxophonist Houston Person do her proud on this version
of “At Last” from his Stolen Sweets album in
1977.